Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-02-11
ROSA'S PCKPOCKET
RY AB8IE G. M'KEEvER.

~ = WA va
You won't! you won't! you won't!"
Mercy on me, children, cease your
,quarreling; you'll drive me Distracted"
But, mamma, you know Rosa's too
young to attend my party
Rosa, you are only Is, and your father
said you could go out to Aunt Mary's
through vacation"
ooh. mamma! 1 won't be sent off in such
a way. Aunt Mary lives in the lonesomest
place. bad enough in summer, but to be
sent there in the winter, it's %drcadful!" and
spoiled, petu!ant little Rosa burst into
tears.
= Nevertheless, the stubborn young miss
was bundled Off, in time to be out Of the
way for her sisters first c%oming-out party.
"1ll get even with them yet" she thought,
wrathfully. 81 won't let Susie have all the
good times. I know the night of the
party. I've got some money and some nice
clothes, and I guess mamma and Susie
will open their eyes when 1 come walking
ill.,"
Naughty little Rosa kept her word; when
that particular night arrived she waited i'm
patiently until Aunt Mary had sought her
own room, then she hastily robed herself
in her pretty, new pink silk with its garnet
velvet trimmings, tied her curls with fresh,
pink ribbon, and did look lovely indeed.
~oh, how pretty 1 am" she unused. 81
wish had some jewels. My! supposing 1
Borrow Aunt Mary's? don't believe she'd
care"
Now Rosa knew That Aunt Mary kept her
jewels in the spare bed-chamber, very easy
for her to obtain. Robbers were q thing
seldom thought of in that country place,
and Aunt Mary was rather careless about
her really fine jewels.
ooh, how they shine, how they sparkle!!"
sand vain little Rosa danced softly about in
her delight.
9Th borrow Aunt Mary's handsome
cloak end then I'll be fixed"
1 suppose the people on the train Won
dered q little at the beautiful, unprotected
young girl peeping out from the rood of
her rich, white cloak, who entered at a
wayside station about 8 o'clock and was
borne on to the city.
But Rosa wasn't afraid, not at all. She
had been reared in the city and fancied
she knew all its dangers. And when a
handsome young gentleman sat down be-
side her she was wise enough to resolve
to hold her tongue and to draw her cloak
closely about her in order to conceal the
glitter Of her diamonds.
"Pickpocket, I expect" thought Rosa.
my, amt he handsome, though! Wouldn't
'hc jump if he knew about my jewels. They
arc worth two or three thousand dollars.
Oh, won't mamma and Susie just die! I'll
be packed off to a convent, but who cares?
I'LL see the inside Of q party once"
On they flew, tho lights of the city about
them at last.
"You get out here. do your" courteously
inquired the gentleman beside her, as she
arose.
ayes. sir" frigidly.
"Ihen I beg you to let me assist you to
q cab or O car"
believe I will take a carriage," said
Rosa. trying to conceal her pink silk skirts.
"All right, here is one. Where to.
. plcase2"
"No. 1888 Broadway" said Rosa, glad to
escape to the privacy of o coach. Thanks"
But even as they rolled away she fancied
that the handsome gentleman entered a
near coach and was following behind.
Rosa Yves no fool if she was naughty. Her
pretty head and bright eyes were not SO
easy to hoedwink as one might suppose.
LII watch the direction I'm taken. I
know tho way home pretty we'll. Why,
this isn't Broadway. ct all! Here, coach
man, you're going wrong!!" she cried, but
the coach door was locked and her shrill
zones were drowned by the clatter over the
stones of the swift moving horses and
coach.
ooh! what does it mean?" she cried, in
terrified accents, then clasped her hands
over her heart to still its wild throbbings.
THAT is that stranger behind. I remem-
Der the horses of the hack he entered. I'm
being kidnapped. My coachman and he
are in league together. He must have seen
my diamonds. Oh, what a goose 1 was!
Why didn't L take a care What must 1 do?